Not Quite "Waking Up the Neighbours" -- ThinkOutside's Boomtube H2O1 review [Archive]

Don Tolson

03-15-2006, 05:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-hdr.jpg" /> Product Category: Hardware - Sound Accessories Manufacturer: <A HREF = "http://www.thinkoutside.com" target = "blank"> ThinkOutside</A> Where to Buy: Various retail outlets. <A HREF = "http://thoughtsmedia.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php?masterid=15551348&search=boomtube" target = "blank"> PriceGrabber</A> (affiliate) Price: From $140 to $176 USD System Requirements:Any audio source with a 2.5 or 3.5mm stereo output jack Specifications: 40W RMS delivered to four 56mm (2 inch) drivers. 50Hz to 20KHz response with >70db signal to noise ratio. Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. A full set of specifications can be found <A HREF = "http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/stwbt21/stwbt21_product.html" target = "blank"> here</A>. Pros:<li>Compact, rugged, portable design; <li>Better than average sound (for the size of drivers), especially with ability to separate the speakers; <li>Good quality carrying case, with room for cables and ac adapter as well; <li>Can handle almost any type of audio device as input; <li>Headphone jack; <li>Standard RCA speaker jacks, so you can attach your own (bigger) speakers, if desired.Cons:<li>Not exactly ‘rattle’ the windows volume, but reasonable for personal listening; <li>Small drivers mean listening position is important, especially at higher frequencies; <li>A little mushy in parts of the mid-range; <li>Battery lasts about 3 to 4 hours at higher volumes; <li>Batteries are rechargeable, but not replaceable; <li>A little pricy, compared to other small amplifiers and boomboxes.Summary: The Boomtube from ThinkOutside (which shares its name and specifications with a similar product from Virgin Electronics) is a medium-powered portable sound amplifier for any audio producing device – from an iPod to Pocket PC to Smartphone. Boasting total power output of over 40W RMS and a volume control that “...goes to 11”, it provides reasonably good sound from a small, compact package. Its big advantage over other such systems is its portability and the ability to separate the speakers to provide a better stereo image. Read On for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Introduction MP3 players, whether they are specific devices, or capabilities built into mobile devices such as Pocket PCs and Smartphones, are quickly becoming the personal music centre of choice. And many people are looking for a way to share their love of music with friends, or a way to listen without having to stick those buds into their ears. A little while ago, I introduced the <A HREF = "http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,26344" target = "blank"> Imaspeaker from TDK </A>, which had an interesting concept of combining external speakers with a CD carrying case, but the sound was rather hollow. The Boomtube H201 from ThinkOutside takes the concept in a different direction – providing a reasonably powered amplifier in a rugged, portable case, with speakers that can be detached up to 2m (8ft) away from each other. A crossover filter keeps the bass notes routed to the central unit which contains a separately powered sub-woofer. Thus, you get the advantages of more power for bass notes (which our ears are not as responsive to) plus better separation of the left and right channels in the mid/treble drivers. Overall, the experience is a much better stereo ‘image’ than single, all-in-one units. The Boomtube is very similar, both in looks and specifications to the Boomtube EX which was available from Virgin Electronics. In fact, even some of the marketing material looks surprisingly similar. Unfortunately, Virgin Electronics is no longer selling products. Packaging The total package provided by ThinkOutside reflects their usual attention to detail – ensuring that everything is there to make the unit usable right away. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-contents2.jpg" /> Figure 1: The entire Boomtube H2O1 package from ThinkOutside. Besides the Boomtube H201 itself and the two satellite speakers, the package also includes:<li>Nylon carrying case + shoulder strap; <li>Power adapter for running the Boomtube and/or charging the batteries; <li>RCA phono to RCA phono cords for connecting the satellite speaker;s <li>3.5 mm stereo phone to 3.5 stereo phone cord for connecting to your audio source; <li>2.5mm to 3.5mm stereo mini-phone adapter to allow connection to MP3-capable phones. The package also (optimistically) includes a pair of ear plugs marked ‘for the neighbours’. Kind of a cute marketing touch, although I don’t really think they’ll need them. It shows the good natured humour of the people at ThinkOutside. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-earplugs.jpg" /> Figure 2: Specially added, just for the sake of community harmony :-). The Boomtube unit consists of two 56mm (2 inch) satellite mid/upper range drivers and a centre woofer unit with two identically-sized speakers of its own. The satellite drivers attach to the central unit via a twist/click mechanism where you line up dots on the sides of the drivers and central unit, then twist the driver about ¼ turn to click it into the central unit. The centre unit also holds the all the electronics and the rechargeable batteries for the Boomtube. Considering everything is manufactured from anodized aluminum, this is a pretty hefty unit. At almost 3 pounds, it’s not something you will easily cart around in a pocket or laptop bag, but with the included nylon carrying bag, it could easily be thrown into a traveling bag or knapsack for use on the road, at the cabin, or at a friend’s house. The carrying case is sturdy nylon with reinforcements in all the right places. It has enough room for the Boomtube, the AC adapter and the cables, without having to stretch things out of shape and the package size is such that it would easily fit into a side pocket or the bottom of a knapsack. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-incarrier.jpg" /> Figure 3: The Boomtube H2O1 all snug as a bug... <PAGEBREAK> Sound According to the specifications, the Boomtube has a frequency response of 50hz to 20Khz. They don’t say what the levels are in this range, but the norm is +/- 3db, and after listening to it, that would seem reasonable. While the overall sound and especially the bass response is noticeably better than other docking station-type products I’ve listened to, it’s not quite the window-rattling experience of a reasonably-powered, full-sized stereo and speakers set or a mid-sized boombox. It’s cute that the marketing material and the dial on the volume control proudly proclaim that the Boomtube ‘Goes up to 11!' and if you don’t understand that iconic reference, then I highly recommend watching <A HREF = "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/" target = "blank"> This is Spinal Tap by Rob Reiner. </A> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-upto11.jpg" /> Figure 4: “Yea...like, it goes all the way up to ‘11’! (You need to say this with a fake British/Liverpool accent and a slight drawl, like you’ve been on something for too long). My old ears don't listen to much rap or hip-hop these days, but some of those 'golden oldies' from the rock era of the '60s and '70s still carry some pretty good bone-rattling bass and percussion lines. In my tests, driving this unit with a Dell Axim X50v or my son’s IRiver MP3 player, I was able to get a reasonable level of sound, but certainly nothing that was uncomfortable or would bother my neighbours, unless I was living in a college dormitory or a '70s era apartment (paper-thin walls with no insulation/sound baffling). There certainly wasn’t enough volume for the beach, (or any outdoor venue) for anything above personal listening. Based on the total system power of 40W RMS, my guess is that each of the satellite units is being driven by about 10W, with the centre woofer getting about 20W. The spec sheet didn’t provide details, but a <A HREF = "http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1764006,00.asp" target=”blank”> third party review </A> of the Virgin Boomtube EX confirmed that the satellites get about 12W RMS and the centre woofer gets 24W. Bass response is reasonable and much better than some of the other desktop amplifier/speaker pairs I’ve heard. There is a control on the top of the unit (beside the volume control) to adjust the bass volume via MaxxBass(TM) technology. This did noticeably increase and decrease the output of the woofer unit, but the range wasn’t huge. Since bass notes tend to disperse quickly and reflect off surfaces, the Boomtube’s bass response will be greatly improved by placing the woofer unit against a wall or in a corner. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-bassdriver.jpg" /> Figure 5: Close-up of the bass drivers in the central unit. The mid/upper drivers are small, but deliver reasonable sound. To my ears, there were a couple of mid-range peaks which made the overall sound a bit mushy and, as with all small drivers, high-end treble notes (which are very directional) can get lost if you’re not sitting dead in the centre of the cone of sound in front of the speakers. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-closeup.jpg" /> Figure 6: Looking face-on to one of the satellite mid/treble speakers. One of the tunes I tested has a synthesizer run going from about 3000 Hz to a sustained note over about 12000 Hz. It completely disappeared at about 10000 Hz unless I was sitting directly in line with the speakers. The speaker drivers are constructed of neoprene and are well sealed within their housings. They should be able to withstand water spray or an occasional splash, but I wouldn’t suggest using this unit in the rain or where it would get sea spray for any length of time. The side panel of the woofer unit provides jacks for the power adapter, headphones, the left and right speakers and audio input. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/don-feb06-boomtube-jacks.jpg" /> Figure 7: Connectors provided on the side of the central unit – power, headphones, speakers and input (L-R). Thoughtfully, all of these are standard connections, so there should be no problem connecting any audio source, or even attaching up a different set of speakers if so desired. Even if you lose or forget the supplied cables, you can use other ones that are probably laying around. Power Consumption According to the specifications sheet, the rechargeable LiIon batteries provided in the Boomtube will last about 5 hours from full charge. In my tests, it took just over an hour to get a full charge using the supplied adapter. At lower volumes (personal use, in a den or other quiet area), the Boomtube played along quite happily for almost 5 hours. At higher volumes, I was only able to get between 3 and 4 hours of play time before the red blinking critical lights came on. I also found my unit’s batteries discharged with the power turned off, so I was frequently plugging it back in to recharge them. Which brings me to the power indicator, which is a set of coloured LEDs around the power button. The visible display area is a thin ring around the button, so it's sometimes difficult to see what colour it is. Even though it is correctly written up in the Quickstart guide, I found it confusing that solid green meant that it was plugged into the power adapter; solid orange meant it was on batteries “with at least 10% power remaining”; then solid red means it has “less than 10% power left”; and blinking red (or out) meant it was out of power. Every time I turned it on batteries, I thought I hadn’t got a full charge, because it would immediately go to orange. I would have preferred that they stuck with green as everything is OK, orange is getting low, and red as needs to be recharged/connected to the adapter. Conclusions This is a really nice portable amplifier unit with good quality sound. While you probably won’t feel it competing with your heartbeat or become ‘party central’, the Boomtube would be great for personal listening at home, on the road, in the dorm, or in a quiet outdoor setting. It’s a little pricier than other solutions, but the rugged packaging and versatility of connectors make it an alternative worth considering. Yah, sometimes Don likes to push the volume ‘up to 11’, which is now usually accompanied shortly thereafter by ‘Daaaaad!!!! What the heck are you listening to?’